The Awakening
by Zaikia
Summary: Shell was just your average gamer, until she is attacked and sent to the universe of Final Fantasy VII. There are secrets to be told, things to dig up and memories about to resurface. Takes place 1 year after Dirge of Cerberus.
1. Chapter 1

**The Awakening**

**Summary:** Shell was just your average gamer, until she is attacked and sent to the universe of Final Fantasy VII. There are secrets to be told, things to dig up and memories about to resurface. Takes place 1 year after Dirge of Cerberus.

_**Chapter 1: **_

"Shelllllll…." my grandma's voice came through my sleep. "Time to wake up sweetie….."

I groaned in response and opened my grayish-green eyes, glancing up at my grandma. My grandma smiled. "Good morning sweetie. How did you sleep?"

"I was up till four in the morning grandma….." I yawned loudly. "Those dreams were keeping me up, so I decided to play some FF7 for a while." I felt the controller digging painfully into my back.

My grandma shook her head, but smiled. "You play that game too much." She chuckled. "Hurry on and get dressed. I made your favorite breakfast." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

I yawned and jumped out of bed, trudging to the bathroom. After my shower, I brushed through my tangled mess called hair and got dressed. I was so glad it was my last year of high school. With a sigh, I grabbed my backpack and made my way downstairs.

After eating breakfast, I walked to school. It didn't take me long to walk to school and I was instantly greeted by my best friend Stormy. "Heya bestie! How are you?" Stormy smiled, hugging me tightly. I was only about an inch shorter than her, but with my boots on (which made me about 5'6" and a half) I was about her height.

"Good, just tired. Kept having those dreams last night again." I replied. I remember having the dreams; I just can't remember what they're about. I scratched the back of my head and sighed.

"Well, let's get to class before we're late." Stormy grabbed my wrist and dragged me off to class. During Government, I was so tired that I put my head down and listened to the teacher talk about the informal qualities of the president.

"God I am tired…." I mumbled before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

_Dream sequence initiating…_

_"Sephyyyyyy!" the little girl squealed, crashing into the taller man's legs. She looked around 5-7 years old with long, dark brown hair and blue eyes._

_The silver-haired general knelt down and picked up the child underneath her arms. He smiled at the child. "It is good to see you again _." His emerald green eyes gleaming._

_"Sephy, how come you never visit us?" she asks, her small pale hands on his shoulders._

_The General glanced over at the _'s parents and then back to _. (A/N: Remember in Kingdom Hearts 2, when they couldn't say photo? This is kinda like that.) "It's not a good idea for us to visit you _. We might upset the balance."_

__ tilted her head to the side. "Whatdya mean by that?"_

_"I will tell you when you're older." He ruffled _'s hair and then set her down._

_She reached up and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. "We'll see you again, right?"_

_He smiled and knelt down in front of her. Leaning forward, he placed a small, but gentle kiss on her forehead. The motion made her cheeks turn pink. "Yes, you will see you again."_

_"Pinkie promise?" she smiled, holding up her pinkie._

_"Pinkie promise." His pinkie wrapped around her own._

_End dream sequence….._

I gasped, sitting up stiffly in my seat. That dream felt so real! I clutched my hand to my chest, over my rapidly, beating heart. Stormy leaned over and nudged my shoulder. "You okay?" she whispers.

I nodded, my heartbeat beginning to settle down. "Yeah….just another dream." I unconsciously touched my own forehead, covered by my long dark bangs. It almost felt like…the little girl in the dream was….me. I couldn't hear the girl's name or anything like that.

I sighed and asked for a pass to the nurse.

…

"So these dreams…" the nurse began. "Do you know what they're about?"

"Usually I can't remember my dreams, but this one felt so real." I replied. "It was of one of my favorite characters from my game and he seemed to have a special relationship with a little girl. But every time he said her name, it was sorta….blocked out. I mean…he kissed the girl on the forehead and it seemed like…." I touched my forehead.

"Like he really kissed you on the forehead?" the nurse asks.

"Exactly." I nodded.

"Hmm," the nurse mused. "How strange. Well…..maybe your dreams aren't really dreams. Maybe they're memories. You don't have any memories from birth up till you were 13-years old, correct?"

"Yeah and my parents died when I was 17." I felt a sadness come down on me when I remembered finding my parents' mangled bodies. I shuddered. "It's really weird."

"Well, maybe you should get yourself checked in with the doctor."

"Alright, that seems like a good idea." I nodded and gave my thanks before heading off to class.

After school, I ended up walking home, but I walked slower this time. The dream I had earlier was still bothering me. "Could it really be a memory? But that's impossible!" I whispered and shut my eyes in frustration before opening them again. "I'll talk to grandma and grandpa about it when I get home."

I walked up to the old, two story house and was surprised to find that the front door was unlocked. "Grandma? Grandpa?" I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and slowly opened the door, only to gasp in shock and cover my mouth with my hands.

The bodies of my grandparents were lying mangled on the carpet. The same way I found my parents one year ago. Tears stung the corners of my eyes and I walked towards the bodies. "No….." I whispered, my voice breaking.

"It's about time I found you child." A cold, female voice spoke and I looked over to the right, seeing a tall, silver-haired woman with pale skin and emerald green eyes.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Why should I bother telling you my name when you're just going to die?" the woman smirked.

"You…..you killed my grandparents!" I shrieked out in anger and ran at the woman. But suddenly, her left arm morphed into a sharp, shiny blade and pierced my right side, going all the way through. I screamed out in pain and she grabbed my neck, yanking the blade out of my side. I felt a trickle of blood flow down from the corner of my mouth.

"I killed your grandparents…" the woman's eyes gleamed with twisted amusement. "And I killed your parents. You're too much of a threat and now you have to die." Her arm morphed back to normal and she pulled out a needle from her pocket, filled with green liquid. I cried out in pain when she plunged the needle into my neck and grinned.

I screamed out when it felt like fire was racing through my very veins. She dropped me and then her foot connected with my injured side, making me roll a few feet away. The woman laughed darkly as she approached me and suddenly, a blinding light erupted from between us. The woman cringed, putting both hands over her eyes. "Agh! What is that insolent light?"

I whimpered when the light began to engulf me. What the fuck was going on? I suddenly heard a smooth, velvety voice speak. It was deep and sounded male.

_You are safe now._

And then I blacked out.

…..

When I came to, I immediately felt the pain in my right side. Gasping, I clutched my side with my left hand and felt a headache coming on. "W-what happened? Where am I?" I staggered into a standing position and looked up to see a church.

But the church looked all too familiar and my eyes widened. "That's-!"

Before I could finish my sentence, an intense pain erupted in my left arm, going up to the side of my neck and up to my cheek. "Aghhh!" I cried out in pain, stumbling along the ground. The pain became too great and I sank to my knees, touching my face. When I pulled my hand back, I saw black liquid covering my hand and it dripped onto the ground.

_Is that…..Geostigma?_

I moaned weakly and fell onto my side, my vision going completely black.

"Hey!"

I opened my eyes just a crack to see someone running towards me. The person knelt down in front of me, offering a hand. "You okay?"

And then darkness took me.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Awakening**

**_Chapter 2_**

"She's pretty."

The voices were distant, but I heard them as I began to come to.

"Marlene," a female voice said. "Leave her be. She's sick."

"But why does she have the stigma? Cloud said he tried to use some of Aerith's water on it, but it didn't go away." The chirpier, female voice said.

_Marlene? Cloud? Oh god…_I thought and scrunched my eyes, slowly opening them. My vision was blurry at first, but then it cleared up and I was looking up at the ceiling.

"She's awake!"

I looked over to my right and saw a young girl, around seven years old with brown hair tied in a braid with a pink ribbon and brown eyes. She looked strong. I looked up and saw a woman in her early twenties with long, dark hair and fierce, but gentle dark red eyes.

"Where am I?" my voice was hoarse.

"You're in 7th Heaven. Cloud found you at the church. I'm afraid to say you're sick, infected with Geostigma. You also have a stab wound in your right side. Cloud was able to heal that, but we put bandages on it just in case." The woman replied. "I'm Tifa and this is Marlene." She gave the girl's head a pat.

I gasped and sat straight up and the pain came up my left arm, to my neck and up to my face. I gasped in pain, clutching my arm. "Whoa, don't move too much." Tifa said, putting a hand on my right shoulder. "You have Geostigma."

I looked over at my left arm and saw the dark splotches of the fictional disease. How can I have Geostigma? It was gone after Cloud defeated Sephiroth. I thought. "Um…..what's the date?"

"The 20th of October, 0011."

_It's a year after Dirge of Cerberus…..that took place in 0010._ I thought, clutching my arm tightly.

"Where are you from?" Tifa asks, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I looked over to the side. "It's a long and complicated story….." I took the covers off and swung my legs over the bed, standing up. I took a couple steps and then the pain came again, more intense this time. The pain spread to my forehead and I clutched my head. It seemed like millions of voices were crying out in pain.

I felt hands on my shoulders, but that wasn't enough because I had staggered and collapsed to the ground. "Marlene-! Get…!"

That was the last thing I heard before blacking out once again.

….

_Initiating dream sequence….._

__ poked her head around the corner, seeing her parents sitting at the kitchen table. Her mother was in tears while her father held his wife's hand. _ cautiously walked into the kitchen. "Mommy? Daddy? Why are you crying?"_

_"Oh sweetie," her mother whispered. "It's….it's too horrible…."_

_"She deserves to know hun." Her father whispered to his wife. "She was close with him."_

_"But she's only a child! What if he decides to come after her?" her mother cried. "I can't bear the thought of losing my only child!"_

_"Hun, the gateway is blocked off. Even if he could, he wouldn't get through." Her father reassured her._

__ blinked. "Are y-you talking about Sephy? What's wrong with him? Is he….gone?"_

_Neither her mother nor her father answered her. _ felt a sickening tug in her gut that screamed 'he's dead'. "No! You're lying!" _ cried, tears pouring down her own face and she rushed upstairs to her room._

_"Sh-!"_

_End dream sequence…._

I gasped, opening my eyes. Tifa was at my bedside again. "Are you okay? You looked like you were having some sort of dream. I thought I heard you say a name, but I couldn't make out what it was."

I sighed and groaned as I sat up. My eyes felt tired, like I was sleeping for a long time. Tifa reached over and placed her hand on my forehead. "No fever, that's good. But…..that stigma has spread up to your forehead. But it's hardly noticeable from behind your bangs. A-are you okay, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Tifa…." I said quietly, feeling a couple tears trickle down my pale cheeks. "Call the rest of the team…I have to tell you all something."

….

"And then I was transported here." I finished, out of breath. The entire Avalanche team stared at like I had grown another head and I frowned. "Believe what you want, I'm not lying."

"You really expect us to believe crazy shit like that?" Cid questions, lightening up a cigarette.

"No, I don't expect you to believe me." I answered and rubbed the sleep from my left eye. "But I expect you to at least think about what I've told you. All of this just seems like a crazy-ass dream….but I'm not waking up."

"But these dreams you are having," Red XIII sat up. "Do you think they could be memories?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. The last couple has felt so real I believed they couldn't be just dreams…..or coincidence." I sighed and felt small waves of pain in my arm.

"Do you have a picture of your parents?" Yuffie asks, sitting beside Vincent Valentine.

"Um….." I rummaged around in my pockets and got out my cell phone (or PHS as they called it here), looking through the pictures. "Yeah, I think so." I scrolled down and found a picture of my parents when I was a little girl. I was in the picture too and I grew sad.

"What's wrong?" Marlene asks. She was sitting beside me, with Denzel beside her.

"Nothing….I just…..I'm still affected by their deaths. My parents died about a year ago, I found their bodies." I tossed my phone to Yuffie.

"I got it!" she lunged for my phone, but instead of her catching it, it landed in Cloud's right palm. "I had it!" she frowned at him.

The blond looked closely at the picture of my parents and I. "I see the resemblance between you and your father. You look a lot like him." He spoke and then suddenly, his bright blue eyes widened, glowing with the Mako in his body. "No…it can't be….."

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Tifa asks, glancing at the photo too.

"Yeah spike, it looks like you've seen a ghost." Barret said gruffly.

"A trip down memory lane…." Cloud mumbled. "I remember, when I was younger….." he looked directly at me. "I met your parents."

Everyone, including me, was silent. My eyes were wide with shock and I opened my mouth to say something, but then a ring tone went off. Everyone looked around for the ring tone before all eyes landed on Vincent.

The raven-haired man reached into his right pocket and indeed, it was his PHS. "Vincent Valentine." He spoke and I thought I heard a man speaking on the other end. "Yes Reeve. Yes, we will be there shortly." He hung up, putting his PHS back into his pocket.

"What did Reeve want?" Tifa asks.

Vincent looked at her and then to Cloud. "The Remnants are back."

…..

The Remnants of Sephiroth.

Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz.

I sighed before looking at myself in the mirror. Since that woman had injected me with something days ago, my hair has grown a little longer, almost thigh-length, shiny and extremely soft. I don't know how soft Sephiroth's hair would be, but to me, it looked almost silky.

Tifa had lent me a pair of clothes until we could go out to get me some. A pair of black jeans, a white tank top with a black jacket over it and boots. I did my best to hide my Geostigma, but I almost cried when I saw the disease on my skin.

I sighed and left the bathroom. I was surprised Cloud was even letting me come along; evidently he wanted to keep an eye on me because of my Geostigma. At least that's what I thought. Tifa was staying behind to look after Marlene and Denzel, to the protests of Marlene who believed she could take care of herself and Denzel.

"You ready to go?" Yuffie asks, twirling her Conformer around in circles.

"Hey! Watch where you're twirling that fucking thing!" Cid swore as the large shuriken almost scraped Cid's elbow.

"Cid," Tifa scolded, tsking. "There are children present."

"Tch." Cid scoffed. "Alright, let's go see what the hell is going on." And he left before Tifa could yell at him again.

We headed to the Highwind (or the Shera as Cid named it, apparently after his wife) and I felt my stomach do back-flips. "I forgot I was still afraid of heights….." I felt my legs begin to shake.

"Would you like to stay behind?" Vincent asks.

"No, I'm coming. I got over my fear of needles. It's time to get over my fear of heights." I mumbled and stepped onto the Shera. When we went up into the air, my stomach dropped and I really felt like I was gonna puke.

"Are you okay? You're looking a little green." Red XIII was lying beside Yuffie, who was sitting against the wall. The Remnants were on the outskirts of Nibelheim and from what Reeve said, they just appeared out of nowhere.

I waved it off. "I'll be alright, just a little plane sickness."

I managed to hold down the bile when we landed on the outskirts of Nibelheim. The town was a lot smaller than I thought. When we were going over seas, I saw highways that connected to the continents.

I always wondered how Cloud got to the Forgotten Capitol in Advent Children to save the children.

I sighed in relief once we stepped off the Shera. However, as we approached the Remnants, I could clearly see their features. The first one I spotted was the shortest one, which I knew was Kadaj. Kadaj had shoulder length, silver hair and wore a long black coat with it zipped up. There was a katana sheath hanging off his belt buckle, holding the double-bladed katana Souba. Kadaj looked like a psychotic, dangerous child. He couldn't have been older than me or Yuffie.

The next one I noticed was the more bulky and muscular one, Loz. His silver hair was short and slightly spiked with sideburns, the same green eyes as Kadaj. He wore a full black body suit with crossing black straps on his torso and black shoulder guards. He looked noticeably the oldest out of all of them, but he also looked like a child. I saw a weird weapon on his left arm, which I recognized as Dual Hound and a gun at his side. Like people say, all brawn and no brains.

And the last one was Yazoo. Yazoo's silver hair was longer than Kadaj's, but not as long as Sephiroth's. Maybe about partway down his back and the same green eyes as the other two. Yazoo looked about the tallest of the three brothers and I noticed he looked a lot like Sephiroth himself, except maybe a bit younger. Yazoo had Sephiroth's allure and cool personality, making him the calmest out of all three brothers. And his weapon of choice was Velvet Nightmare, the same gun that Loz had.

I scratched the back of my head as we got closer to the Remnants, but Cloud held out his arm in front of me. "Stay here." He spoke and approached the Remnants. "Well…isn't this a not-so pleasant surprise?"

"I think I would say the same thing brother." Kadaj spat the last word with disgust.

"Okay, no time for chatting!" Barret bellowed and I watched in awe as his right hand (which was robotic) turned into a gun. "How are you back? What do you want?" Barret asked the Remnants many questions.

Kadaj laughed, almost childishly. "What makes you think we wanted to come back?"

"I don't think they'll believe us Kadaj." Yazoo spoke coolly. "Seems we might as well go back to the Lifestream."

All of a sudden, Loz's gaze landed right on me and I felt the back of my neck get cold. His seemingly intimidating gaze turned somewhat confused and then broke into a smile. In the blink of an eye, he ran so fast to me that he was glowing blue.

The others, including Yazoo and Kadaj were caught off guard as the oldest of the three lunged at me and I expected to get shot at or at least attacked.

But no. Instead of getting attacked, Loz cried one, simple word.

"Sister!"

_SISTER? _I mentally screamed and didn't get the chance to run, because he had his muscular arms around me and crushed me to his chest.

"Sister?" Yuffie exclaimed loudly.

"Why the fuck is he calling her sister?" Cid swore.

_God this was weird._

"The flower lady was right!" Loz cried, hugging me even tightly. "Sister would be here!" I thought I heard him start to cry.

"Um…." I poked his side. "Dude, I can't breathe at all…" I wheezed. Immediately after I said that, his grip on me loosened and I was able to breathe again, but he didn't release me.

"Loz, are you sure you have the right girl?" Yazoo asks.

"Yes, I'm positively sure!" he answered. "The flower lady said she was the one!"

I blinked. _Flower lady? Does he mean Aerith?_

"Wait, are you talking about Aerith?" Yuffie asks, glancing at Loz.

"The pretty lady with a ribbon in her hair, yeah. She told us, that sister," he motioned down to me. "Was going to take care of us."

Kadaj walked over to us, followed suit by Yazoo. Kadaj was about a couple inches taller than me, which wasn't very tall (to me at least). Kadaj's green cat-like eyes went to my forehead, down to my cheek and my neck. "She has Geostigma."

"Really?" Loz questioned and moved me back a little ways from him, brushing the hair away from my forehead. "Wasn't everyone cured of that?"

"HEY!" Barret bellowed, causing Loz to flinch and tighten his hold on my shoulders. "Okay, you'd better give us an explanation buddy! What the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain." Yazoo spoke up. "In the Lifestream, your friend that Loz is talking about, Aerith was her name?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Aerith explained to us about Jenova, our 'so called mother'. And in doubt, we didn't believe her at first, but over time we began to doubt that an alien being was our mother." Yazoo explained. "And some time ago, Aerith told us that sister," he motioned to me. "Would be arriving soon and she would take care of us."

"I've always wanted a sister!" Loz burst into tears and hugged me once again.

_I feel so awkward._ I thought.

"Sounds fucking crazy….but…." Cid seemed at a loss for words. "Cloud, what should we do with them?"

Cloud was silent for a moment before he sighed and took out his PHS. "Let me call Tifa."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Awakening**

**_Chapter 3_**

The air was thick with tension as we headed back to Edge. From what I knew, Tifa wasn't happy at all, but Cloud had explained to her that I was now the Remnants' 'sister'.

My head was down and I could slightly feel the waves of pain in my arm, but not enough for me to notice them completely. I didn't feel as sick to my stomach as I did before, but it still felt a little upset. I'll eat some crackers when we get back to Edge.

"How are you doing?" Yuffie asks quietly, trying not to get the attention of the Remnants, who were in quiet conversation. "You've been quiet ever since we left."

"I'm just thinking…" I replied quietly. "Everything's just fucked up….as usual." I sighed heavily.

Yuffie looked closely at my face. "Shell…..your eyes are glowing green…."

"It's the Mako within my body." I replied, tightening my grip on my pants. "Jenova injected her cells into my bloodstream…damnit!" I curled my fingers and punched the floor beside me. I couldn't help as the tears trickled down my cheeks. "Everything's just fucked up…." I stood up and began to pace. I paced whenever I got nervous or really upset.

"Sister, are you alright?" I heard Loz ask.

"I'm fine Loz, stop worrying about me…" I mumbled and suddenly felt the pain in my forehead increase. Gasping, I fell to my knees, one hand supporting my weight and the other on my forehead.

"Shell!"

"Sister!"

I felt hands on my back and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. "I'm fine…" I hissed quietly in pain and slowly let myself fall onto my side. "The pain is going away…." I sighed as the pain began to go away.

"Sister?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we get a dog?"

I heard Yuffie snicker and I opened one eye to look at Loz. He had a hopeful look in his green eyes. I closed my eye. "I'll think about it."

….

Cid landed the Shera where we could see it from 7th Heaven. "Yuffie," I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her. "I've got a bad feeling about something."

"What do you mean?" she asks, looking up at me. I was a good 3 or 4 inches taller than her.

"Just watch out for anything unusual." I mumbled and jumped off the airship. "Vincent, did Reeve call the Turks?"

Vincent was silent a moment before answering. "I do not believe so."

_Then why do I have a feeling that-?_

Before I could finish my thought, there was a loud gunshot and I felt something graze my cheek and hit the person behind me. I heard a cry of pain and realized who had been hit.

I spun around and saw Loz on the ground, holding a hand to his left shoulder. Kadaj and Yazoo were beside him, trying to get him to talk.

I heard the sound of choppers and my mouth formed a silent snarl. "Rufus Shinra…" I turned around to see the chopper land, not even trying to shield my eyes from the wind. The President (A/N: he's not really a president anymore, but oh well) stepped out of the chopper, along with Reno and Rude.

"How the fuck did the Turks find out?" Cid questioned, a cigarette between his lips.

"I am mildly surprised you tried to keep this from us." Rufus spoke as he approached us, shotgun smoking in his hand. "Now," he pointed the shotgun at the Remnants behind me. "Shall I dispose of them for you?"

No one said anything. However, the atmosphere grew thicker and darker and before I knew what happened, I lunged at the president, smacked the shotgun out of his hand and my foot connected with his chest, kicking him to the ground and I found myself holding Loz protectively, my left arm around his shoulders with my right hand on his shoulder wound and glaring at both Shinra and the Turks intensely.

"I-I-!" Yuffie stammered. "I didn't even see her move!"

My glare intensified as Rufus began to get up, dirt on his clothes. I spoke and I was surprised how low and dangerous it was. "Touch them again and I'll see to that you don't live past 25."

"Who the hell is this?" Reno asks, pointing his Electro-Rod at me.

"It's a long and complicated story." Vincent spoke somberly.

I glanced down at Loz's wound and my eyes narrowed, concentrating my power on to heal it. To my complete surprise, my hand and his shoulder were engulfed in a warm, green glow.

"What….the fuck…?" Cid swore. "She's…..using magic without the….Materia…."

"Sister-." Kadaj began.

"Are you or Yazoo hurt?" I ask, still concentrating on Loz's wound.

"No, but-."

The green glow vanished and I took my hand away, seeing the wound gone. I felt blood drip down my cheek, but ignored it. My hand was covered in blood and I couldn't help but stare at it. Rage boiled within me and I quickly stood, approaching the Turks. I opened my mouth to speak, but the pain came to my infected arm and I hissed, clutching my arm.

The pain increased, spreading up to my forehead. "Aghhh!" I yelled out in pain, hearing voices shouting. I staggered and was out before I hit the ground.

When I woke, I felt flushed and extremely tired. All I wanted to do was sleep, but if I did, then I would be up half the night. "There has to be some way for this Geostigma to get cured…..I can't take this anymore. I need to take a walk….."

I shoved my boots on and grabbed my jacket before opening the window and sneaking out.

….

Edge was a real peaceful town, ever since Omega was defeated. I walked down the streets of Edge and sighed. "My life just can't get any worse….." I mumbled and just as I said that, someone bumped into me hard and I stumbled, losing my footing and falling to the ground.

"Oh, sorry about that kid." The guy who knocked me down said and I felt his hand wrap around my left upper arm. All of a sudden, he gasped and let go, making me hit the ground again. "Ugh! The hell! You have the stigma! I thought that was cured!"

I saw the guy wipe his hand on his pants and then walk away, grumbling under his breath. "Asshole….." I mumbled and pulled myself up. I looked ahead and saw the ruins of the Shinra building and without a second thought, I walked to them.

….

"We've got a search party out looking fer her." Barret said gruffly. "The girl has gone mental to be walking out in her condition."

Tifa nodded. "I'm still confused on how she has the stigma."

"It's because of Jenova's Cells." Cloud replied. "Her body is still fighting off the disease and it's taking its toll on her body."

"Cloud…" Tifa said quietly and the blond looked at her. "What did you mean…..when you said to Shell, 'I met your parents'?"

Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but it was interrupted by his PHS. He answered it. "Cloud Strife. Oh Vincent, any sign of her? What do you mean a bigger problem?" there was silence for a moment and then Cloud's blue eyes widened. "A-are you sure Vincent? Okay, I'll notify the others immediately." He hung up and his eyes narrowed in anger.

"What is it spike?"

Cloud's eyes were narrowed and full of anger.

"It's Sephiroth."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Awakening**

**_Chapter 4_**

The Shinra ruins were pretty messed up. I had a difficult time climbing up them so I could watch the sunset. And I realized what was happening.

I felt the tears trickle down my pale cheeks and I stood up. "YOU LEFT ME!" I screamed at the sky. "You never told me! I know I lost most of my memories, but instead of leaving me in the dust, you could've told me about my childhood! You could've! Before you were killed…" I choked on the last words and fell to my knees, sobbing. "Why did you leave me…?"

"Shelby," a deep, male voice spoke.

I whirled around and saw Vincent standing there, his cape blowing in the wind. I sniffled. "What do you want?" I asked as I stood up, wiping my eyes roughly.

"We have to return to 7th Heaven." Vincent replied. "There's a problem."

I blinked. "What kind of problem?"

"…..It's best if you did not know."

"Vincent….."

Vincent looked away from my gaze. "You already know who he is."

"Sephiroth." I spoke quietly and Vincent glanced at me. "Don't take me for a fool. I could see it in your eyes. What does he want?"

"We do not know, but…." Vincent's voice trailed off.

"But?"

"It's most likely he is coming after you."

"Me? What the hell did I do to him?" I questioned angrily. Scratch angry, I was pissed. I was pissed that I have Geostigma, Jenova's cells inside of my body and now I have a psycho coming after me. WHAT THE HELL DID I DO TO DESERVE SUCH HELL?

"It does not matter; you did nothing to upset him. Either Aerith brought him back along with the Remnants or Jenova has taken control of him." Vincent replied calmly. "We have to leave before he finds you. Follow me."

I followed him over and down the ruins when a question came to my mind. "Vincent, my dreams…are they really memories?"

Vincent glanced over his shoulder at me. "It is what you believe."

I stopped and glared at him. "Damnit Vincent Valentine! I want a straight answer!" I shouted and he turned to me. "Now, things have gone to hell since I've arrived here. I've been infected with Jenova's Cells AND with Geostigma, I've now apparently become the Remnants' sister, which I don't mind AND I've now got a megolic, psycho maniac after me, who thinks he's god because his so called 'mother' is FUCKING ALIEN! YOU'D BETTER GIVE ME SOME STRAIGHT ANSWERS NOW!"

I was breathing heavily by the time I was done and all Vincent did was stare at me with a blank expression. And then Vincent's PHS began to ring. "Yes?" he answered.

"Vincent, you need to hurry and get Shell back to 7th Heaven. Sephiroth is heading right for you guys!"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, we'll be there shortly." He hung up and looked at me, but to see that I was gone. "Shelby?"

_Fuck this. I'm going home. _I thought as I ran down the ally way. What am I, some sort of magnet for freaks? I came out of the ally-way and ended up back into the ruins. "Shit…..did I take a wrong turn?"

I suddenly heard growling from behind me and slowly turned around, seeing those hell cat's, about two of them. "Shit…." I whispered and then took off. I began to climb the ruins, trying to get away from the hounds and suddenly, one of them chomped down on my leg, pulling me off the slab and throwing me away. "Gahhh!" I yelled out, grimacing. I looked at my leg and saw that it was bleeding. "Fuck…..double fuck…." I whispered when the hell cat's approached me.

The biggest one, which I assumed was the male, snarled and lunged at me. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and waited for jaws to clamp down on my throat.

But they never came.

I slowly opened one eye and then the other and then gasped loudly.

If I was hallucinating from the Geostigma, I'd say this was a pretty good hallucination. The silver-hair, the black cape, the long katana….

It's HIM.

And he had the male hell cat in a vice grip by the throat. Without much effort, the cat was thrown off the ruins and yelped loudly as it hit the ground below. The female cat snarled at him and then jumped down to help her mate.

_Fuck me._ I thought and then quickly got up, running off. _Fuck, Vincent must be out looking for me. I'm such a fucking idiot! Why did I run off?_ I mentally screamed. My leg screamed out in pain as I ran and suddenly, I tripped, falling flat on my face.

And that's when my arm decided to give off intense waves of pain. "No!" I whispered, clutching my arm. "Not now!"

"You have the stigma."

I froze in my steps and rolled over onto my back, propping myself up on my hands to look up at the man before me. What I didn't notice until now was the large, black wing protruding from his right shoulder blade. My mind screamed at me to run, but I couldn't force myself to move. I felt frozen…..

His eyes then slightly widened as he observed me closer.

"Shell?"

"Shell!" I heard Yuffie shout.

"Sister, where are you?" Loz cried.

The voices knocked me back into my senses and I quickly stood up, backing away from Sephiroth. He took a few steps towards me and I took a few back. "Shell, I mean you no harm." His right hand reached out.

"D-don't touch me!" I shouted, scared out of my wits. My breathing was heavy and fear was coursing through my entire body. My heel hit the edge of the concrete and I looked down, seeing the darkness below. T_hat's a lonnng drop…._.I shuddered.

CRACK

"Huh?" I looked back at the slab of concrete before me and saw a crack run right through the middle between us. Shit.

And it broke.

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" I cried, trying to grab something. I flailed my hands wildly, trying to grab something when a hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me from falling. I was thrown upwards and caught around the waist, my hands clutching the black leather of the cape tightly.

"Shell!" Yuffie screamed and I saw her and the others, with Loz right on her tail.

"Sister!" Kadaj cried.

There wasn't much I could do because I was flying right across the ruins and over the ocean. "No! Put me down!" I began to struggle and thrash. "Put me down!" the pain was beginning to spread up to my forehead.

When he didn't let me go, I did the most stupidest thing ever.

I bit his shoulder (the part which wasn't covered by the shoulder guards). And I bit him HARD.

He let out a yell of pain and his hand flew up to his shoulder. Except that was the arm that was around my waist and I soon fell towards the ocean. My scream of fear was cut off when I hit the water and man did it hurt. But I don't know what happened afterwards, because I blacked out from the impact.

…..

"We have to go after them! Sephiroth could harm her!" Yuffie yelled at the group.

"Big brother doesn't want to hurt her." Kadaj said.

"Huh?" said the entire group, with the exception of Loz and Yazoo.

"Big brother wants sister to have her memories back." Loz replied, like it was the simplest thing to say. "So she's not afraid of him."

"I don't buy that crock of shit for one second!" Cid bellowed. "The guy is a fucking maniac and we have to get the kid back before he does something to her!"

"But big brother-!"

"I don't give a flying fuck about your big brother! Sephiroth is still crazy and-!"

"Cid!" Cloud shouted. "That's enough, you're making Loz cry. Now, let's all go to the Shera and start looking for them. I knew Sephiroth back then before he went insane and he had a….special relationship with Shell. He even placed a protection barrier on her. He would not harm her unless he was absolutely controlled by Jenova."

Cid grumbled. "Fuck! Fine….."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Awakening**

**_Chapter 5_**

The pain was dull, but I could feel it in my forehead and going down to my left arm. I could feel something brushing over my forehead, brushing the dark strands away from my face.

Whatever was touching me felt gentle, almost carefully...afraid if I was touched too hard, I would break. I let out a small groan and whatever had been touching me left. My eyes slowly fluttered open and I found myself looking at a dark grey ceiling. Ceiling? Where am I? I thought and glanced over to my right.

Only to gasp and scoot backwards, falling off the bed. It was HIM. "Whe...where are we?" I ask, my eyes wide.

"Nibelheim." he replied, standing up. "You lost consciousness after hitting the water. Shell...why are you afraid of me?"

_Because you're a psycho who thinks he's god. _I wanted to say, but instead. "I-I...don't know how you know my name, but I never learned about you until I got the game."

"Shell..." he murmured, walking around the bed to kneel down in front of me. "I know your name because you've been here before."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I shouted, causing Sephiroth to be surprised. "I don't know why you and the others keep saying that! I've never been here in this world! Never!"

His emerald eyes softened. "You lost your memory...of course...I watched you fall and bust your head open..." he sighed and reached out with his left hand. "This will hurt for just a moment."

Before I could do anything, his hand covered my eyes and forehead and I felt pain. It felt like something was being forced into my mind.

Memories...

I gasped as the memories came back. The little girl, the one whose named was never said...that...

Was me.

I felt tears trickle down my cheeks as the memories stopped. The hand was removed and I felt the pain in my arm erupt like a violent volcano. "Aghh!" I cried out and clutched my arm. The tears were still trickling down my cheeks and I felt fingers brush the hair away from my forehead.

"The stigma, your body is still fighting off the Jenova Cells." he announced and wiped the underneath of my eyes to make the tears stop. To my surprise, they did stop.

"It hurts so fucking bad..." I whispered and I looked up at him. He...still looked the same when I saw him as a child...the same gentle, emerald eyes, the same face...just everything. "How could you? How could you believe a FUCKING ALIEN WAS YOUR MOTHER?"

He seemed surprised by my outburst. "Shell, it is what I grew up with. I-."

He never got to finish, because I had slapped him across the face. The tears were falling again and I glared at him. "How could you do that to your friends? To everyone, to me! You made me believe that you were a murderer! I watched you murder Aerith! But that wasn't you! You were in the Northern Crater and you were dead! Jenova controlled you and you LET HER!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but I glared at him. "I'm not finished yet." he shut his mouth, not even bothering to touch his reddened cheek. "You believed what Hojo told you. You believed everything he said about Jenova! Well guess what? YOUR MOTHER WAS HUMAN AND YOUR FUCKING FATHER WAS HOJO!"

His emerald eyes widened in stunned surprise. But then they narrowed and his eyes became filled with anger. His hand grabbed my throat and slammed me down onto the carpet, squeezing. "I tire of your ranting. I give you your memories back and you resort to screaming at me." his voice was calm, but it sounded dangerous.

"I...I can't breathe..." I wheezed and clawed at his hand. "S-Sephy...please..."

His eyes widened when I said his nickname. He instantly stopped choking me and touched my face gently. "I have to find out, forgive me for this." and he leaned down, capturing my lips with his. My eyes widened and I had the worst overwhelming feeling to kiss him back. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly when he deepened the kiss and it felt like he was digging through my mind for answers.

When my air was nearly gone, I began to struggle, kicking my legs. And that's when he pulled away, emerald eyes staring down at me. "So that's it..." he allowed me to sit up and all of a sudden, he groaned and held both hands to his head.

I should probably get out of here...I thought to myself and made a break for the door, but then I saw a bright, blue line in front of me and the door was split right down the middle. I even felt blood trickle down my cheek and felt my cheek, seeing blood on my fingers. I slowly turned around and saw Masamune in his left hand and his expression was just...

Insane.

He took one step towards me and I rose my fist, electricity circling my hand. Sephiroth stopped and raised an eyebrow. "BOLT!" I yelled and a lightning bolt came out of my hand and struck him right in the chest. It distracted him long enough for me to head for Mt. Nibel.

I searched through my pockets and pulled out my PHS. I quickly dialed Cloud's number and put the PHS to my ear as it rung. "C'mon, pick up Cloud!" I whispered, running along the path.

Then there was a click and I heard Cloud's voice. "Cloud Strife."

"Cloud! Thank Gaia you picked up!" I breathed as I ran up a hill.

"Shell? Where are you? Has Sephiroth harmed you?"

"I'm currently running through Mt. Nibel right now. Jenova took control of Sephiroth and I'm afraid she's using him to kill me!" I quickly rushed into a corner and hid in the shadows, hoping I would be safe. I suddenly felt tears trickle down my face, mixing with my blood. "You gotta hurry. I'm so scared that Jenova is gonna kill me." my voice was breaking.

"We'll be there in ten minutes tops. Stay hidden and stay quiet. We'll be there soon." Cloud instructed.

I gulped. "O-okay..." I hung up and made sure my PHS was on vibrate so it wouldn't make a loud noise if it rang. And then the silver-haired man appeared in my line of vision and I clamped my hands over my mouth, trying to hide my breathing. He looked around and then disappeared from my line of sight.

I let out a quiet, muffled breath of relief and then he appeared right in front of the corner I was in, reaching to grab me. "Go away!" I huddled close against the corner and saw a hole, small enough for me to fit through. Gasping, I fit myself halfway through the hole before my ankle was grabbed. "No!" I yelled and kicked him, my foot connecting with his jaw.

I was released and I came out through the other side of the hole and ran. I looked over my shoulder to see if he was following me and then I fell into water. The impact hit me hard, but not hard enough for me to black out. I looked around and saw a tunnel, swimming through it. I saw light and broke through the surface, noticing I was in a deep lake. I pulled myself to shore and coughed, getting the water out of my lungs.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my PHS, gasping when it was wet. "No, no, NO!" I cried, trying to dry it off. "Don't die on me now!"

There was a gust of wind and I saw the Shera descending to my position. "Shell!" Yuffie screamed and jumped out of the airship, followed closely by the Remnants. She engulfed me with a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Sister!" Loz cried and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Where's big brother?" Kadaj asks.

Before anyone got to answer, there was a whoosh and the silver-haired man landed gracefully on the ground. "Big brother stop this!" Kadaj shouted. "It's Shell! Remember!"

I thought to myself. Could there be something to drive Jenova away? She feeds on the negativity and anger drawn out by Sephiroth and the ones who have her cells. One second I'm running away from him and the next I want to drive Jenova away.

With a sigh, I pulled myself out of Loz's hug and cautiously approached the man before us. "I know you're in there Sephiroth and I know you can fight her. Jenova is not your mother, remember? She can't control you."

While I was saying this, I cautiously pulled out my dagger from my back pocket, holding it tightly. "But if my words can't drive this out of this, then I guess I'll have to try something else." and then I ran towards him.

"Sister no!" Kadaj cried.

"SHELL!"

Before anyone could react, I plunged the dagger into his side and I cringed when he roared out in pain. I twisted my leg with his and we both fell. Masamune clattered away loudly and I pinned his wrists down. "Damnit Seph! If this doesn't pull you out of it, then nothing will!" and then I leaned down and kissed him.

I heard gasps from the people behind me and I shut my eyes tightly, increasing the kiss just a little. _Please...let this work. _I thought and released my grip on his wrists. All of a sudden, I felt fingers slide into my hair, pulling me down even farther to increase the kiss even more. My hand trailed down to his side, where the stab wound was (I had taken the dagger out instantly after stabbing him) and I felt the warmth of the Restore magic healing the wound.

Once I was done healing the wound, I pulled away and gazed down at his face.

"Ahem." Yuffie coughed.

I blinked and then realized what I had done. My face got extremely red and I got off of him, blushing madly. "It worked I guess!" I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck.

He didn't have that insane look on his face anymore and his emerald eyes were back to being gentle. He pulled himself up to stand and brushed his clothes off. "I guess it did."

I glanced over at the others and noticed Yuffie had a bloody nose. She grinned goofily. "That was hot..."

"Yuffie!" the others scolded.


End file.
